SolidTx.3249

when exactly will the upload happen? like what time EST, PST, etc is the question?

So you all hire a new person to be solely responsible for balance - well let me provide some feedback that if this is what we are to expect I'm sorry, the first patch to "balance" things is TERRIBLE. You've ruined Specter. Its unplayable. It went from decent in PVE to absolutely terrible in one PVP switch. How can you make such sweeping changes and ruin a class like this? Sad. This will drive people from playing the game.

Lost Ark's mechanics design is really well done, and overall the quality of them (across all it has to offer) is far superior IMO. Valtan is the first Legion raid and the most basic of them. It is well designed and has some interesting components to it - but I wouldnt call it the cream of the crop in LA. Vykas is more advanced and Kaul Sadon and brelshaza are far more sophisticated. It's an ARPG vs a 3rd person view -- so there are challenges inherit int the compare....still, I think the consistency in LA is far better than GW2. GW2 has a lot of real stinkers...and even if you were able to dramatically tone down the overwhelming visual stimulus - GW2 is still too basic. The gate mechanic in P1 of Vykas, or even the pizza one are incredible examples of innovation in group play. How healing, alacrity and virtually any boon works in GW2 (the Specter starts to fix this) is one problem I see. Most things are group wide - and this is a lazy way to distribute benefits - heck even damage via conditions. some of the above posts have been very influential in pointing out that Anet doesn't seem focused on providing a qualitative group play experience. I hope this changes,. There is a great opportunity for them here to make things better.

amen. they say a picture is worth a 1000 words - or 1000 visual effects. that is pure chaos, not good encounter design

you bet I expect that....any professional evaluates their competitors in an effort to make their own product better. What do I want other than less visual noise? did you read the OP? -- better telegraphs -- more variety -- less stand on a pin style group gameplay (specter is a great addition to the game) -- actual group mechanics vs chaotic and messy design anyone with significant experience playing other well designed MMOs is bound to agree. raid and encounter mechanics in other games are far superior. Take the "counter" mechanic in Vykas HM in Lost Ark. Brilliant design. Nothing like that in GW2.

Hi there, I hope we can keep this civil and professional. I would like to provide some constructive feedback to the developers regarding Encounter design. I've been a GW2 player since beta. Have my decade title, crafted a series of legendary items and mainly focus my end game on meta events, legendary crafting, some WvW and an occasional strike etc. I love the game. It's the only game that I have played consistently over the last 10 years. That being said, I always have another game I am also playing -- and in those games I play them much more hardcore than I do GW2. Whether it be mythic raiding in WoW, DCUO, SWTOR, FFXIV and currently Lost Ark. I have a 1492 Sorc and 1485 Bard and raid the HM Legion raids every week. Clown comes out this week. My biggest complaint about GW2 is it's encounter design. I believe, when compared to its contemporaries it is the worst of the bunch. From QOL things like not being able to completely turn off other player effects to everyone stand on the pin style raid mechanics, GW2's encounters are (mainly) terrible. Now the EOD strikes are a little bit improved, but for a game supposedly focused on group content - there is a lot left to be desired. -- Telegraphs are terrible -- The "poop on the ground" damage variant is far too overused (need more variety) -- Visuals are too chaotic (need to be able to turn off friendly effects) -- Difficulty is derived from the above shortcomings, not from lack of player skill or coordination6 These issues seem to affect almost every aspect of the game -- encounters in story missions (story model Mordromoth for example) are especially bad. Fractals and raids aren't much improved. Strikes are perhaps the best (and most recent) of a bad lot. Now on their own perhaps some of you think they are okay - but they are not. I'm not advocating for other games, but a Sire Denathrias fight is so much better designed than virtually anything GW2 has, and hard mode Vykas even better than that. Even many of the Meta events are just big chaos machines. There are a lot of examples where other games have evolved their encounter designs to a far better state than what we have here. I'd like to have the Anet team look into those and bring the best of the best to GW2. I am a competent end game raider and have cleared some of the most challenging raids the MMO scene can offer. I would like to do more of this style of gameplay in GW2 but the poor design of their encounters and lack of quality of life features end up making me more frustrated than anything else. Sincerely. Cheers and have a nice day!

- prove me wrong -- the biggest issues in end game are balance related -- there are far more "viable" classes that never get picked in LFG because they arent the snowcrows perfect meta build -- the community is like lemmings and indexes on the classes that are perceived as making the content the easiest it can be; regardless of truth -- ARC dps and the like have driven the community to a caustic state - where end game is not friendly to players trying to learn raiding and other end game content like high end fractals -- if ANET really wanted to make end game more viable for all players - they would not allow any DPS meters - and this would improve end game for most players -- the above would improve the game overall and the reputation of the community

There is zero innovation in EoD. Vs the previous expansions and base game, heck even vs the living worlds EoD falls way way way short. We've come to expect innovation in game play, systems and features. Fishing and skiffs should have been a hot fix to a living world.

With just days left before the release the OP looks like a prophet with a seeking eye glass of truth. This has to be the most underwhelming expansion Anet could have delivered. More strike missions in a living world season than an expansion. Fishing. Freaking Fishing continues to lead the list of new features. Omg! How there is not massive outrageous over this baffles me. Lackluster (overall) elite specs (a feature HOT gets credit for), copy cat non unique legendary weapons, limited strike, no mention of raids, a single mount that does look cool, and more silly Aurene story nonsense. Just nothing appealing. With the release of LOST ARK on the 8th of Feb for patrons and on the 11th for a truly free massive MMO that looks amazing - no idea how GW2 survives. Fan boys rise up. I think that's all that's going to left for thus game.

I am 1000000% with the Original Poster. I am a day 1 player, have all the anniversary rewards to show it. I have over 2K hours played on my main and have 10 characters in total with each race and most of the advanced professions. I only share that to convey I love the game and have spent a near decade loving it. And I still love it. And I enjoy achievements hunting and exploring the Living Worlds as they come out. And am looking forward to the new Expansion very much. But....and it's finally time to have the "but" conversation..And that BUT is that many players feel stuck at level 80 with no real progression (AND ARE BORED). We need something In the form of gear, levels or some sort of compelling goal that will make our characters advance. Now as said, I've been around since day one - I am intimate with the arguments made against constant gear leap frogs and how skill, playtime, dedication and love of the craft is THE design parameter for GW2 - and that what makes it different than WOW< FF etc. I am not advocating we make GW2 like them. Got it. Solid argument that made sense......for a decade. But for the vast majority of dedicated players we have seen it all 10,000 times. All the fractals, dungeons, zones, raids, world events etc. We have all the timers to do meta events, we have the legendaries we want and have achieved a skill level that is most likely capped with our level and gear. I think it's time for GW2 and the next expansion to move the level cap to 160, and have some process that allows us to turn our existing legendaries into Artifact status and give us a new scale for gear. We can then keep the new system for another 10 years.....it's time. The game's long in the tooth. It's great. But needs an overhaul to keep its base strong. It's my $.02.

casting my vote for more legendaries. more weapons, more armor, more trinkets. more. it makes the game more fun. gives us more goals. its good for the longevity of the game.